The driest place on earth runs an improbable variety show: geysers erupting at dawn at El Tatio, flamingos wading salt lagoons, the Valle de la Luna doing its Mars impression at sunset, and — the finale — some of the clearest night skies astronomy has ever pointed a telescope at. Base yourself in San Pedro de Atacama, where every agency sells the same circuits. Altitude is sneaky at 2,400 metres and above, so save the high geysers for day three.
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